Leonardo Bonucci stated that José Mourinho called him more than once in January 2024 about a move to Roma. According to Bonucci, Mourinho told him that he should train well because he would play immediately in a match against Cremonese on January 3rd. Bonucci recounted that he agreed to be ready when the transfer window opened and that an agreement was found around the 23rd of that month. He stated that the Christmas holiday period followed, and the potential transfer became a topic of discussion among some fans in Rome. Bonucci believes Mourinho then changed his mind and made a different decision without calling him back, which left Bonucci disappointed. Bonucci also believes Mourinho thought Roma would renew his contract due to fan affection. Bonucci added that he later saw Mourinho in Istanbul and thanked him, as he had a positive experience at Fenerbahce.